State of General Educ LO7079

Benjamin E. Wagner (bwagner@umd5.umd.edu)
Tue, 30 Apr 1996 12:31:16 -0400 (EDT)

Replying to LO7014 --

Schools are in a state of transition as are many businesses.
Unfortunately, public education can only provide what the public allows.
We begin to teach team skills (we call it cooperative learning) and a
large number of the public demand a return to the basics- a typical
paradox.

We know that children learn better by doing, but our resources are limited
enough to make it mostly impractical. There are too many students and too
little planning time to routinely teach by doing. I teach in elementary
school. The perception of much of the public is that I have an easy job
that anyone with a little training or worldly experience can do. It is
essentially "daycare" in their minds. Why do we need additional planning
time?

Schools are the way they are because it is what the public wants and/or
willing to pay for. After all, what was good enough for me should be good
enough for kids today is a common refrain. Many of us know that education
needs to change but it will come slowly because of the lack of direction
from the public.

Benjamin E. Wagner
Baltimore County Public Schools
Maryland, USA

-- 


bwagner@umd5.umd.edu
 


     Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations
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     Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations
    For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>